While 2020 was a year of changes and unforeseen challenges, some things remained the same in Kentucky like the need to focus educational resources on school readiness. As cited in the “Improving Kindergarten Readiness Rates in the Commonwealth” presentation by Amy Neal from the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, Kentucky has remained at only 50% kindergarten ready for the past six years, indicating a need to equip counties with the resources to increase the number of children who are mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to start school. 

The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky rose to the challenge by creating and launching a new 12-month curriculum designed to engage children between the ages of 2 and 5 and their caregiver(s) in the learning process through fun and entertaining activities. Agents were instrumental in the design of the activities and were trained on the curriculum in February 2020. Each activity was strategically selected to target the five major domains identified by the state criteria: physical and motor development; social and emotional development; approaches to learning; language development; and cognitive development.

The curriculum includes six major activities that can be setup as individual stations, if space allows, with specific instructions and materials needed to complete the activity. The activity sheets also provide the targeted domain intended for the activity to enhance. For instance, the story is intended to strengthen a child’s ability to focus and listen. Engaging the parent or caregiver in the program not only increases the time the parent and child spend together, but also helps educate the parent or caregiver on specific ways to interact with their child at home encouraging learning and ultimately increasing school readiness. 

While Covid-19 halted Extension Offices from conducting in-person classes, it did not halt some amazing agents from using this curriculum in unprecedented ways. Several agents began creating kits or grab-and-go bags in which they provided parents and caregivers with the materials and instructions on how to carry out each activity at home. For instance, the Christian County FCS agent provided 1,050 bags by June 30, 2020 to constituents in their county. Similarly, the Calloway County FCS agent provided 1,400 bags that were either picked up at the extension office or distributed through partnerships with the Division of Family Resources and Youth Services Centers (FRYSC). 

While Covid restrictions are beginning to relax and in-person classes resume, we look forward to recording and sharing many more successes of this program. The development team has been hard at work this year and was able to complete an additional 12-month curriculum resulting in the Laugh and Learn Playdates curriculum now having 24 months of lessons, station signs, books, and newsletters available to agents for children and caregivers in hopes of increasing the percentage of children in Kentucky who are prepared and ready for school.